


Worth the Risk

by lizardwriter



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: AvaLance, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 18:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14574513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizardwriter/pseuds/lizardwriter
Summary: Sara is struggling with her developing feelings for Ava,  a.k.a. how Sara and Ava got from awkward flirting to an actual date ask.





	Worth the Risk

**Author's Note:**

> Just an avalance oneshot. Set between 3x09 and 3x12. Prompted by francoamerican. My imaginings of what might have happened offscreen in conversations and texts between Sara and Ava between the Vinland episode and their first date. I hope you all enjoy!

She wasn’t sure when exactly the change had happened. 

Okay, that was a lie. She could probably pinpoint the exact moment she really started seeking Ava out over any little thing. 

She’d come back for her. It was that simple. When she’d really needed Ava, she’d been there, polyester blend pantsuit and all. 

She’d said screw the rules and it had been worth it and she’d even acknowledged that.    
That was when Sara knew. That was when things really changed. 

Okay, there had been subtle changes before that, too. Subtle indicators that beneath the armor Agent Sharpe put up to shield her from the world an actual person with feelings and flaws existed. Ava started to become someone different in Sara’s mind than the shoot first ask questions later, no nonsense Agent Sharpe. 

Sara didn’t like asking for help. It wasn’t something that came easily to her. She’d learned over time that sometimes it was a necessary evil, but that didn’t make it easier. Still, she’d asked Ava, and in the end Ava had come through for her. 

It was rare in her life to have people to depend on. Laurel, Ollie, her dad, her team...and now Ava. 

She sighed heavily as her thoughts weighed her down. She wasn’t completely oblivious. She had noticed Ava checking her out on more than one occasion. Ava had dropped a few subtle hints that she might be interested in SOMETHING, but it was what that something was that gave Sara pause.

If it was a hookup, well, sure, Sara wouldn’t complain, but they worked together and sometimes hooking up with someone could alter the nature of the relationship for the worse. That wasn’t really something she wanted to do with someone she regularly relied on for backup.

Besides, Ava didn’t seem like the hookup type of girl. She was all rules and regulations and black and white. She was soft touches and stern looks. She was careful and considered. She was the type of girl to date, not just screw between missions to work off some excess energy. 

That was a problem, though. Sara didn’t want that. No, more accurately, Sara couldn’t want that. Relationships didn’t end well for her. She flew through time and space trying to save the world, she was hardly going to be able to go on conventional dates or keep regular commitments. What would she say? “Sorry, honey, but I have to fight the asshole who killed my sister in the sixteen hundreds today. I’ll try to make contact when I’m back in your century?” 

Sara shook her head.

Ava might understand time travel better than most of the people she flirted with, but that didn’t make it a stable grounds for starting a relationship. 

No, Ava Sharpe was not a real romantic option. She was at best some eye candy she could enjoy from time to time. Someone she could maybe occasionally vent to about the stresses of the job. She was someone who she now knew she could count on to back her up in a fight. 

She wasn’t going to screw that up. 

  
  
  


“How’s the Rip situation?”

That was good. It kept it light. It kept it about business. The words,” Want to come over here so we can talk about it?” were swallowed down. She was not going to let her instinct to flirt with a pretty face get the best of her. Not with Ava. 

“Stagnant,” Ava replied with a sigh. 

She looked tired, Sara thought. Not unattractive. Just worn out. “Rough day?”

Ava smiled a small smile. Sara ignored the answering pitter-patter in her chest. 

“Just the drag of bureaucracy.”

“That’s why we largely operate outside it,” Sara replied with a wink. Okay, her instincts were hard to fight. 

Sara was rewarded with a small bark of laughter, but then Ava put on a serious face. “That is what gets the Legends into trouble more often than not.”

Sara shrugged and smirked. “Yeah, but it’s what gets us out of it, too.”

Ava tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, as she said, “Maybe.”

The hair down thing was a new development, but Sara didn’t mind it. No, Sara really liked it, actually. She wasn’t sure if it was just a sign that Ava was metaphorically letting her hair down a little, since she’d certainly decided to give the Legends a little more leeway after Vinland, or if she was simply trying a new, incredibly attractive style, but either way Sara wasn’t about to complain. Focus, she reminded herself. She didn’t want to end their call yet, but she couldn’t simply sit there appreciating Ava’s looks. Not when it was so very late at night where Ava was. In fact, she was probably only staying at work for the remainder of their conversation. She’d been lucky to catch her at work at all, although the time agents often worked odd hours. Anachronisms didn’t really work around a linear schedule, after all. 

“How’re the anachronisms?”

Ava furrowed her brows slightly and looked vaguely amused. “Haven’t you checked the map today?”

Sara nodded. She had. Right before she’d called, actually. “Just wondered if maybe there was any new data on your map that hadn’t showed up on ours yet. Or if anyone had noticed any patterns. Or…” she shrugged and faded out. She had just wondered if maybe Ava would be interested in getting a drink sometime. She’d talked herself into asking right up until the second when she’d seen Ava’s face when she’d answered the call.

Ava shook her head. “No, sorry.”

Sara nodded again. She should say goodbye. She should hang up. She should go check on her team. Who was she kidding? They were all probably sleeping. Except for Mick. Mick was probably drinking. 

“So how was your day?”

Sara refocused on Ava and was rewarded with a shy smile. She wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to end the call. 

Of course, that made things trickier. That meant she really should say goodnight. 

She didn’t. 

“Oh, you know...time didn’t implode, so I figure it was a pretty good day.”

Ava laughed and tucked her hair behind her ears again. 

God, she was cute. And she could be so sweet. And she was a good girl, a rule follower, Sara reminded herself. 

Not a good match for a damaged ex-assassin whose sins and broken rules were too numerous to list. 

Sara shook her head. 

Say goodbye, she told herself. 

“I think if a time implosion were imminent the anachronism map would have gone berserk. I like to think we’d have a heads up, anyway,” Ava said. 

Sara grinned. “Yeah. It’s nice to think. In my experience things happen way too fast for that, though. Even the big things can sneak up on you.”

Like feelings, Sara thought. 

Ava nodded. “You know, ever since I’ve met the Legends, I’ve found that to be true.”

Sara laughed. “At some point you might have to stop blaming the Legends for everything that goes wrong.”

“You know you’re the reason I have a job, right?” Ava teased. 

Sara chuckled as she nodded. “Touché.”

“Besides, since you guys came back my life has gotten a lot more complicated,” Ava said. 

Sara furrowed her brows and studied her for a moment. Was that a jab or an admission? Ava’s cheeks were flushed and she was looking down, not making eye contact, which made her harder to read. 

“Anyway, it’s getting late,” Ava commented after a moment. 

“Right, yeah,” Sara agreed. 

There was an awkward pause. 

Just ask her for coffee, Sara thought. Or booze. Booze is good. Do you want to grab a drink before bed? They weren’t hard words to say. She’d said them before to other pretty faces. 

“Well, goodnight,” Sara said. 

Ava wasn’t just a pretty face. 

“Goodnight,” Ava replied. 

Was that disappointment? It sounded like disappointment. 

The screen went blank. 

Whether or not Ava had been disappointed, there was no mistaking the feeling in her own gut. 

“It’s too complicated,” she told herself aloud. “It can’t end well.”

  
  
  


Damn Leo and his stupid comment. She had been able to ignore it until he had to go and say something about Ava having a crush. 

But what she’d said to him was true. Ava was the type of girl you took home to meet your parents and she was the type of girl you took to an exorcism. She was the type of girl who got possessed to save her team. She was the type of girl who was so damaged it was easy to let a demon in. 

She wasn’t the type of girl who was right for Ava Sharpe, even if Ava had a crush. 

Okay, even though Ava had a crush. 

And, okay, maybe she had a stupid little crush on Ava, too, but it was...complicated. 

That sounded like a cop out, even to her, but it was true. 

And now Rip had escaped and that only complicated matters further. Who knew how far he’d go in his Mallus obsession? Who knew if he’d hold a grudge against her and Ava for having him thrown in jail? Who knew what exactly was going through his mind?

Not to mention that Sara had been to Mallus’s world twice now. His threat was no exaggeration. If Constantine thought he might take control of Sara again, then that was all the more reason not to engage with Ava. They needed to focus on work, not flirting. 

Sara’s phone chirped and she checked it. 

_ How were the 70s? _

It took Sara a minute to realize that she was grinning like an idiot just because Ava’s name had popped up on her phone. She felt her tension from her argument with Zari start to dissipate.

“Shit!” she murmured. This was not the way her body should respond to a casual crush. She took a deep breath. Keep it professional, she advised herself. 

_ Disco-riffic. _

Oh, God, had she really sent that? A moment later Ava replied with the rolling on the floor laughing emoji. 

_ How’s the hunt for Rip? _

That text was better. It was professional. 

_ Going nowhere.  _ Sara could practically hear the tired sigh behind the response. 

_ Well maybe I can come there and we can put our heads together to see if we can come up with something.  _

She sent it and immediately wished she could take it back. It was too flirty. Too much like she was asking her on a date. At least Ava would probably say no. If anyone knew how to keep things professional, it was Ava. 

_ Well, they do say 2 heads are better than 1. ;) _

Sara swallowed hard and her heart began to race. That was not a no. A few seconds later another text from Ava came in, and this one made Sara’s heart beat even faster. 

_ I’m free right now, actually.  _

Sara hesitated. Did she dare say yes? Was there any way that this wouldn’t end in disaster?

No. 

Besides, Gideon was down. She should probably hang around until she was back online and functional. 

“Sara!” Nate came bursting into the room. “Come quick! Zari!” he gasped. He’d clearly been running. 

Sara was on her feet before he’d caught his breath. 

“What’d she do now?” Sara asked in an exasperated voice, already striding across the room. 

“Medbay. Time goo. Unconscious,” Nate panted. 

Sara felt anxiety tangle her stomach into knots. As frustrating as Zari could be, she didn’t want anything to happen to her. 

She remembered the waiting offer from Ava and was glad to have a proper excuse. 

_ Rain check. Duty calls. _ She shot off quickly as she hurried to the medbay. 

A captain’s duties were never over. 

All the more reason she shouldn’t date. 

  
  
  


“You know, it turns out, at the end of the day, love is worth the risk.”

Zari’s words echoed in her head. 

Love.

Well, it definitely wasn’t love yet, but Sara knew what Zari meant. 

“None of us can do this alone,” she’d said. 

It would be nice to have someone. She had the team, of course, but it was different being in a relationship with someone. The last person she’d really tried it with was Ollie. And, okay, that had been messy from the start, but maybe Ava would be different. There wasn’t the baggage of murky history between them, unless you counted Ava trying to arrest her and shoot down her ship, but really that wasn’t so bad. 

Sara made her way to the jump ship and shut the door for some privacy. 

“Gideon, contact Ava for me, please?”

“Of course, Captain Lance. Shall I make sure the others give you some privacy?”

Sara rolled her eyes. One of these days she was going to have to talk to Gideon about that cheek. 

“I’m sure I’ll be fine here,” she replied. 

“Hey,” Ava greeted her with a smile, coming up on the screen. “Everything okay?”

Sara nodded. “Zari got hit with some time sludge and ended up unconscious in the Medbay for a few hours.”

“Wow! Is she okay?” Ava asked. 

“Yeah, she’s doing better now. Apparently Gideon took her on some mind trip, but she’s healthy, and somehow...a little wiser maybe?” Sara chuckled. “I don’t know.”

“A Gideon mind trip?” Ava looked intrigued. 

Sara waved it away. “Don’t ask. I’m not completely sure I understand anyway.”

“Okay.”

Ava looked down, then snuck a look up at her, then looked back down again as she tucked some hair behind her ear. Her hair was down again, Sara appreciated. 

Ava was nervous, she realized a moment later as Ava bit her lower lip. 

“Anything exciting happen in your day?” Sara asked. 

“Took care of a family of dodo birds that had nested outside Buckingham Palace just before Will and Kate’s wedding,” Ava said. “Ugly bird.”

Sara laughed. “Sounds thrilling.”

“Not exactly life or death, but sometimes that’s a nice change.”

“I know what you mean,” Sara agreed. Maybe it would be less interesting if a mission actually went as planned, but it would be a nice change of pace. Okay, there hadn’t been any major issues in 1975 except for Nate and Amaya’s mysterious absence, but more often than not things got catastrophically worse before they got better. 

“Contemplating all of the Legends’ screw ups?” Ava asked, with a raised eyebrow and a sly grin. 

Sara narrowed her eyes playfully, recognizing the teasing for what it was. “We don’t have THAT many, jerk.” 

Ava laughed. “I suppose you’ve saved my life a time or two.”

Sara smiled. “You know, I think I remember that.”

“Mhm, no need to look so smug,” Ava replied. 

Sara grinned broader, then remembered Ava’s hand reaching in, the only warmth in Mallus’s dimension, grabbing her and pulling her out. “Then again, you might’ve returned the favor.”

Ava smiled back at her. “I might recall a recent instance of that.”

“I think you still owe me one, though,” Sara added with a smirk. 

“Oh, I’m sure the opportunity will present itself, knowing your team,” Ava replied. 

“Heeey!”

Ava laughed, and Sara had to join her.  

Nobody had made her laugh like Ava in a long time. Maybe ever. 

Zari’s words from earlier ran through her head again. “I think you should ask Ava out,” she’d said. 

Sara took a deep breath. “Hey, so, I was thinking about us working together to try to come up with a lead on Rip…”

“Yeah?” Ava prompted when Sara hesitated. 

“And we still can, I was just thinking that maybe it would be good to get together and spend some time NOT talking about work.”

Ava grinned shyly at her. “Yeah?” she asked again, but the inflection was different this time. It was hopeful. 

“Like a date?” Sara suggested. 

Ava’s smile grew and she ducked her head, looking up at Sara through long lashes. “I’d like that.”

Sara smiled. “Okay. Great, well...I should probably go check on Zari.”

Ava sat up a little straighter. “Right, yeah, I should probably go make sure that Gary hasn’t muddled something up.” 

Sara nodded. “I’ll text you soon?”

“Or I’ll text you,” Ava countered. 

“And we’ll talk soon?”

Ava nodded with a broad smile. “Count on it.”

They gave little waves and the screen went black. 

Okay, so she’d done it. It was still a bad idea. It was still probably destined to end in disaster. 

Maybe Zari was right, though. Maybe it was worth it. 

Maybe she didn’t have to do this alone. 

 


End file.
